Yummy donut fail.

This week's pinterest recipe was 'homemade' donuts
I was stoked all week to make this recipe for when Joel came home after a week of traveling for work
Saturday morning came and I heated the oil in my pan and opened up two cans of mini biscuits
After realizing they brown in like 4 seconds I was rapidly putting them in and fishing them out of my oily pan
We coated them in butter and then cinnamon sugar (YUM)

And just as I tore one apart for Mylin, I realized THEY WEREN'T COOKED THROUGH!
Yuckyyyyyyyyyyy  :(
and BUMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR

I was prettty upset and disappointed but figured I could just pop them in the oven to cook like originally made for...
(and forgot to take a picture...)

Finished product?!
Delicious!
I knew they sounded good and looked pretty good - but I was still surprised by how good they were!

This isn't a picture of her eating them, but Mylin enjoyed breakfast today too :)

So for next time?
I'll keep the oil temp lower...and have the oven hot and ready just in case I didn't get them warmed through!
This is definitely an easy recipe to make a ton of and take for a breakfast carry-in or something...

What would you use them for?

our week

3 Pinterest recipes

Cinnamon Roll pancakes (impromptu on the day Joel was home sick from work this week)
- we LOVED them! Next time I will try the cinnamon roll pancake bake mentioned at the end of the blog recipe link - this was crunchy, which I liked, but also burned easily in the skillet, which I didn't like...

 Peanut butter, jelly, banana breakfast pizza that I mentioned I was going to make this week
- We loved this recipe too!  Like always, I changed some things - I used whole wheat flour, brown sugar, regular butter, cinnamon chips (we were fresh out of chocolate because I also made scotcheroos the day Joel was home sick...) and jelly (not jam).  Next time I would either half the dough recipe or put this into 2 pie pans - the dough was VERY thick! Joel's excited to have it cold tomorrow and see which he likes better

 Chicken Parmesan Bake
-  Ok first of all it was WAY creepy that the guy who does this blog link did a video to tell me how to make this - I didn't like having his voice in my kitchen!  But, we really liked this recipe too!  I chunked my chicken and cooked it in a skillet 2 days ago (moms with small children can appreciate the stages of prep for a good meal!!!) and I also made my own croutons instead of using a bag of garlic ones - we'll definitely make this again!  Would be very simple to make a ton at once and freeze for meals for later

Daddy drew this picture at breakfast...

So we also had a snow day today!

Other than that, this week we had our extra day at home with Joel

A date night at church last night where we both one prizes!!!
I won the game at our table - a starbucks gift card
And Joel had 2 tickets to a Casting Crowns concert taped on the bottom of his chair :)

Mice in our kitchen  :(  (no picture because of how much I was freaking out when I saw them dead this morning!!!!!!!!)

And our little mama budding into quite the lover!

What happened during your week?!

 

What I am LOVIN these days

Coffee creamer

Maternity clothes - especially these cargo pants from Motherhood Maternity

And here's me modeling them at 18 weeks!

Leisure reading

Candles - particularly ones from A Different Light in Bluffton

Pinterest recipes

My goal is to try at least one from here each week!  This week is Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Banana breakfast pizza and Baked Chicken Parmesan

Ellen in the afternoons - my comic relief on my stay-at home days!
Tuesday night t.v.

My unbelievably amazing family that are blessings greater than I can imagine or describe

What are some of your favorite things right now?!

Mylin at 18 months

On Christmas Mylin 'turned' 18 months!
Time for another photo shoot, don't you think?!
Enjoy these adorable glimpses into her fun little life :)

(little poser!)

(sad princess...)

(This is my favorite one!)

Thanks Connelly Photography, again, for the amazing capture of our Little Miss' sweet and silly personality

What will 2012 bring us?

Were you able to catch our post about the run-down of 2011?

Well this year I've felt convicted to keep our goals much more simpler.
So simple, in fact, that we really are going to focus our attention on just ONE.

Check out the New Year's Day sermon we were blessed with here

So for 2012, Joel and I are striving to remember and keep God our first and foremost focus.
We desire to focus on prioritizing prayer time, devotion time, scripture reading, and Godly fellowship - all to bring about our focus towards Him; to direct our energy, daily, for His work; to have what we would say and how we would act be for His glory.

Please join us in praying for this goal and help us stay accountable!

What are your goals/resolutions/hopes for 2012?!?!

What did 2011 bring us?

We had a few plans, hopes, and dreams for 2011

Joel found out Franklin Electric was moving to southern Fort Wayne
He was a great support to me as I finished my last semester of graduate school
He celebrated 5 years of working at FE
He teeters within a few pounds of his weight loss goal (and looks pretty smokin' hot if you ask his wife!!!)
And did train for and run most of his first 1/2 marathon
I am SO PROUD of him!!!

I graduated from Huntington with my Master's in Counseling!
I am working part-time for Life Matters Counseling in Bluffton
I participated in my first 1/2 marathon
And my ministry opportunities and direction changed - though I am still involved in our worship team
Whew!

Mylin has gotten all of her teeth :)
She turned 1!!!
She not only walks but runs everywhere!
And she talks up a storm pretty much all day long!
Our favorites right now are 'where'd it go?'
and 'I LOVE YOU'!!!
She has been saying it that for months and it is the sweetest sound to our ears :)


So what did 2011 bring us that we weren't expecting?!
Joel has become involved in 2 intense studies at our church, one a 2 year class of discipleship, and the other a 6-9 month intense study about the quest for authentic manhood
This has catapulted him onto a path of growth and confidence-building - I am so thankful for these opportunities and the obedience of my husband!
We can already see the fruit of this as he has been offered a leadership position in his tech team ministry at Life for this coming calendar year (Praise God!)
I became a leader in my MomLife group and have learned much from the other leaders on our team about prioritizing and prayerfulness when it comes to ministry.
Together we have had a steep learning curve and sometimes rough journey as we learn when and how to discipline Mylin with love and grace - a parently experience that we are sure will continue to change and evolve.
Mylin has changed in more ways than we ever knew possible - her personality continues to bring us to laughter, surprise, and adoration every day; we didn't know this kind of love was possible!
We also dealt with the uncertainties during our first trimester of pregnancy with our second child, but together, we all are praising God for His blessing for our family!!!

What did 2011 bring you?!

books of 2011!

In 2011 I was so excited to finish my Master's degree and finally start leisure reading again!
This is what I managed to accomplish:

Her Daughter's Dream - Francine Rivers
Journey to the Well - Diana Wallis Taylor
The Other Side of Darkness - Melody Carlson
Radical - David Platt (audio c.d.)
The Atonement Child - Francine Rivers
Baby Wise - Gary Ezzo, M.A. and Robert Bucknam, M.D.
Wind Dancer - Jamie Carie
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Boundaries - Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Give Them Grace - Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson
Sun Stand Still - Steven Furtick
Seriously...I'm Kidding - Ellen Degeneres
Gideon's Grace - Karen Kingsbury
Maggie's Miracle - Karen Kingsbury
Sarah's Song - Karen Kingsbury
Hannah's Hope - Karen Kingsbury

Out of these books I would HIGHLY recomment reading Her Daughter's Dream, by Francine Rivers, but not before you read Marta's Legacy, the prequel, also by Francine Rivers

If you want to laugh out loud all afternoon pick up Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres (or her 2 other books, My Point...and I Do Have One, or The Funny Thing Is...)

Also, Radical and Give Them Grace are MUST HAVE'S for Jesus lover's - for just living life as we are called to, and also parently our children the way Jesus' directs us (see also, Baby Wise)
Coincidently, I wouldn't recommend Sun Stand Still - it honestly doesn't even compare to Radical in my opinion

I'm making it a goal for 2012 to read every day!
I have a few books on my list to start with:
The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
Divine by Karen Kingsbury
Every Woman's Marriage by Shannon Ethridge
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Plus a few Francis Chan books I bought during an Amazon impulse buy day...one where I couldn't help myself by adding them all to my cart and knew that Joel and I would enjoy reading them some day :)
What books would you highly recommend I add to my list?!?!

The Draper's holidays

We are just getting settled after 9 days of family, friends, parties, presents, food, and fun!

Here's a glimpse of our holiday week in pictures (and a few captions)

Castle from Bushie and Jodgie (Joel's parents)

Christmas at home with mom and dad!

(When asked by Bushie what Mylin got for Christmas, she replied 'I got socks!')

Christmas in Michigan with Great-Bushie and Great-Jodgie

Draper cousin-twin, Jace

Homemade gift exchange - Joel and I were blessed by the gifts 2 of his cousins created...

A refinished tiny table and chairs!!!! There is even glitter paint on everything... :)

I made a sign for Neil's bee box, "Draper Apiary, Neil's Native Nectar"

And Joel made a memorial picture and frame for his Aunt Paula,

who's husband Clark died in August of this year

Cut to the Merkle Christmas at my parents house: 3 girls, 3 pink sparkle skirts!

 And 8 crazy grandchildren!!!

 Our 'Christmas' morning traditional picture (remember last year's?!)  Can't believe that next year there will be 2 more babes added to this clan! (My brother David and his wife Jayna are expecting in April)

 And Mylin with her Merkle cousin-twin, Andre, and his oldest sister, Maddie

 Joel's birthday celebration!!!

Lastly, Joel's 'masterpiece' of the week: we can finally braid Mylin's hair :)

A lot has changed in a year!!!  We can't wait to see how life changes for us in another year :)